How Dallas Won the Cold War

Remember the prime-time soap opera from the 1980s about a wealthy Texas family in the oil business? “Dallas” has been off the air for 20 years but it’s still considered one of the most successful television shows in history. Studio 360 listener Laura Detre nominated “Dallas” on our American Icons website, and we liked her idea so much, we sent Julia Barton to Southfork Ranch (and beyond) to understand how Dallas changed the way the world sees America.

“We wanted to believe that people live in skyscrapers and have beautiful cars and everything is shiny and glamorous.” — director Jaak Kilmi, on watching “Dallas” in Soviet Estonia

Full deal here.